League Woes
by Modul
Summary: *On Hiatus* Ash tests his experience in battling, friendship, and love in the mother of all tourneys…the Pokemon League.
1. Arrival

Salutations ev'ryone! For my third fanfic, I want to make a more complex story with more OC's and more importantly…more romance. My previous two stories were mostly based on friendship and loyalty, but no romance! I can't call myself a Pokeshipper and not have a story with actual love; hopefully, this will satisfy you _and_ me.

DISCLAIMER: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo

Summary: Ash tests his experience in battling, friendship, and love in the mother of all tourneys…the Pokemon League.

**League Woes**

And there it was…

"Slow down won't ya!" That complaint came from Misty. "I've told you a million times! We're not late for anything! Save some energy for the competition, alright Ash!"

"Sorry Misty, but I didn't listen to a word you just said!" Ash replied from a faraway distance, waving a hand in the air to signal that he was not going to stop.

"Gah! That boy will be sorry for not listening to me…"

"Give him a break for once." That statement came from Brock. "He's just reacting like we thought he would. You and I both know how hard he had to train to get this far, right?"

"When it comes to calming down the ol' Misty…no one does it better than you, Brock" Misty said with a sarcastic bend in her voice, purposely naming herself in the third-person.

"Hey thanks! I try my best."

But this was not one of those times. _Wack!_

"My nose!" Brock took a surprising blow, but sighed in relief when he found out his nose neither broke nor bled. "On second thought, Ash is acting _really_ inconsiderate."

But Misty didn't sympathize with him. It seemed like there was nothing that could calm down the 'ol' Misty' today; her bad mood wouldn't allow it. Out of all days, this day was supposed one of her happiest as her best friend would be competing for a prize pursued by every trainer around the world. She would cheer for him at his side while he took the big stage, in front of dozens of cameras and millions of viewers. However, there was a small part of her that didn't want Ash to undergo all this glamour and fame. She had no idea why she was feeling this way. It was a bad feeling and she wanted to get rid of it. Did she sometimes wish Ash would fail? Absolutely not. Could jealousy be a possibility? _Maybe_.

"Okay, I guess I could give Ash a break…" Misty reckoned, agreeing to Brock's initial suggestion. "Thanks Brock!"

"No problem…" Brock lied, totally ignoring the problem of his damaged nose.

The two of them decided they had to run if they ever planned on catching up to Ash. If anyone knew Ash more – other than his own mother – It was his two best friends. And they knew he wouldn't stop running until he passed through those Pokemon League doors. But it turns out Brock and Misty didn't know so much about him after all. Ash stopped his running but he has yet to pass the doors.

"It's locked!" Ash was shedding tears as he tried pushing and pulling and twisting the knobs with all his strength. "No! I hope we're not too late!"

"Ash! What happened!" Brock called out, as he and Misty were approaching the doors as well.

"It's locked…I think we're late or something!"

"That's strange. We definitely aren't late. If anything, we're a few days early…" Brock verified, looking at the year's official guidebook for the Pokemon League.

"Then why are the doors locked…Misty!" Ash was staring directly at Misty in suspicion.

"Me?!"

"Yeah! You said we weren't late!"

"You heard Brock! We aren't late! Maybe your arms are just too scrawny to open the doors!"

"You're the one who's scrawny!"

Brock face-palmed in dismay, "Ash…you didn't…"

"Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled with an echoing effect that flowed to the mountains and beyond.

It seemed that Misty's fist was about to meet Ash's cheek until a familiar voice broke into scene. "Well…isn't it Ash and his friends?"

The trio stopped their movements and turned their heads to see who was speaking.

"Mr. Goodshow!" They all spoke in unison.

"Yes, I'm glad you all remember me!"

"Mr. Goodshow, where did you come from?" Ash inquired, thinking that he should be inside the League gates rather than outside.

"Well, I heard someone scream your name and I rushed over here as fast as I could."

Misty gave an embarrassed giggle. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that…"

"So Ash, are you having some trouble opening the door?"

"Uh…" said Ash, not wanting to admit his inability to something as easy as opening a door.

"Ash! Answer the man!" Misty elbowed Ash, like a mother telling her child to stop being so shy. She decided to answer the question herself, "Yes, the door is locked and we can't get in."

"Any chance that we are late, Mr. Goodshow?" Brock added in.

"No, of course not! If anything, you're a few days early," confirmed Mr. Goodshow, almost quoting Brock's exact words from before.

Misty gave Ash a glare to show that she was right, soaking in her victory and serving no pity for Ash.

Ash maturely accepted defeat by refraining from Misty to ask Mr. Goodshow, "Why are the doors locked, then?"

"It's not locked…" Mr. Goodshow said simply.

Ash, Misty, and Brock were all confused.

"What do you mean, Mr. Goodshow?" Misty was the first to ask.

"Didn't you guys read the sign?" Mr. Goodshow pointed to a steel plate nailed on the side of the entrance with words engraved thoroughly that read:

_Welcome all Pokemon trainers and_

_Congratulations for making it this far on your journeys!_

_The Pokemon League is just a door away, but here lies_

_One final test._

_If you are truly worthy of your name as a Pokemon League participant_

_Then use any Pokemon of your choice to budge this door_

_If you aren't capable of such a task, we'll kindly ask you_

_To leave and try again next year._

_Good Luck!_

"A final test? Weren't the gym battles enough?" Misty said, fed up with this new League rule.

"It was my idea," Mr. Goodshow credited. "It's a way to weed out the weaklings from the elite!"

"Well I like it! This just makes things more exciting!" Ash reached for his waist and chose a Pokemon quickly but preparedly. "Go Snorlax!"

"Snorlax…good choice!" Brock mentioned.

The hefty, blue Pokemon surfaced from its pokeball with an unnatural eagerness in its face. A Snorlax would usually sleep all day – even during battles on occasion – and it would eat whenever it's rarely awake. But there was that saying where Pokemon take their characteristics from their trainers deemed true by Pokemon statistics; therefore, an outgoing Ash equals an outgoing Snorlax. The heavy Pokemon approached the door with the utmost confidence and had the strength to match as he pushed the doors open with ease.

"Alright Snorlax!" Ash proudly praised.

As he returned his Pokemon back into its pokeball, the doors were still swinging inwards to reveal an outdoor area filled with crowds of Pokemon trainers.

"Wow all of these people were able to pass the test too, huh?" Misty construed.

Brock gulped. "Not to mention that we're supposedly early…who knows how many trainers will end up competing."

"Don't be shy folks, go on in!" Mr. Goodshow suggested. "You'll see me later at the opening ceremonies, bye for now!"

The three trainers gave their thanks and followed one another into the League gates. There must have been at least five-hundred trainers there already, and they all looked extremely talented by their looks alone. No one had any of their Pokemon released from their pokeballs – excluding Ash's Pikachu – but there was this strange feeling of intimidation that paved its way into Ash's head.

"Ash Ketchum, are you shaking?" Misty asked over his shoulder, causing him to shake even faster.

"N-N-No…"

"Don't stress yourself. You can take these guys with your eyes closed…"

"Gee thanks Misty!" said Ash rejuvenated, although surprised at Misty's unexpected compliment.

But little did he know…Misty was just trying to contradict her feelings of jealousy by encouraging him even more than usual.

"Excuse me but I couldn't help overhearing…are you who they call Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town?" That question came from a young man, about the same age as Brock, as he emerged from the crowd of trainers.

"That's me! You hear that Misty? I'm famous!"

Misty's reaction to this couldn't have been more dismal.

"Heh. I pictured you much taller and older," The young man continued, as more of his personality began to show. "You don't look as tough as they say, either."

In no less than five minutes… Ash had experienced fear, happiness, and now anger. "As if you look so tough? How 'bout we battle to settle this?"

"You've read my mind…"

"Ash, you can't! It's against the rules to have battles outside the main tournament!" Brock warned, with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

"Don't' worry, this will be quick!" Ash reassured Brock. "Let's go Pikachu!"

"Go Dugtrio!" The nameless Pokemon trainer announced.

"Pikachu, use your agilit-"

"Hold it!" said a blue-haired lady in a motorcycle, who stood in between the two trainers. "You guys should know that battles between participants are not permitted around here! Now I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disqualify both of you from the League's competition."

"What!" Ash jumped in total regret.

"That won't be necessary Officer Jenny…" That declaration came from a young girl, about the same age as Misty, as she emerged from the crowd just like the other trainer did.

"Oh really?" Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. You see…this guy here isn't a Pokemon League participant." The young girl said, pointing at Ash's opponent.

"He isn't?!" Ash broke in.

"Nah, Little Al here was probably just pretending again. Weren't you, Little Al?" smirked the young girl, squeezing the boy's cheek like someone would do with a baby.

"Enough with the pet names already, Leslie!" retorted 'Little Al', with his tough-guy impression suddenly diluting into a mortified mess.

"Well I guess if only one of the battlers was a participant…" Officer Jenny searched for a conclusion. "No violation! I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

She started up her motorcycle and strode off to supervise the rest of the trainers. Brock tried to fight the urge to chase her; but in the end, his curiousness for the two new trainers held him still.

Meanwhile Ash ran over to Leslie, with a huge sigh of relief. "Wow thanks for saving me! My name is Ash by the way."

"Hi Ash! But I already know who you are."

"Y-You do?"

"My name's Misty!" Misty cut in between them, as she introduced herself.

"Hi Misty! My name is Leslie. And I'm sure you've already met Little Al here."

"The name's Albert!" The young man reminded her, as he finally revealed his real name.

"Is it true that you're not a participant?" Ash asked Albert, hoping to get an explanation from him for why he wanted to battle.

Albert shrugged and ignored Ash's question completely. Instead, Leslie answered for him. "Yup he's not competing…but I am! Albert and I have been traveling together for a long time, and he cheered me on through the roughest of battles!"

"That's great! It's not everyday where we see people traveling together like me, Ash, and Brock do." Misty replied.

"You mean _he_…cheers for _her_?" Ash snickered, as a glimpse of his male dominant mind began to show.

As Ash's last statement could be reworded as _'girls can't be leaders'_ and '_boys can't be cheerers'_, Misty and Brock both smacked him on the side of the head for those reasons respectively. It probably wasn't long until Albert and Leslie decided to give him a smack. Without even trying, Ash had managed to insult four people at once.

"What do you mean by that Ash!" yelled Misty.

"Can you be any more rude!" yelled Brock.

Ash apologized to them as Leslie let out a giggle.

Leslie decided to make peace. "It's alright _really_...sometimes, immaturity can be cute."

Then everybody froze, especially Misty. _"This Leslie girl…"_

Just then, Leslie took off her hat and put it on Ash's head while she tried on Ash's hat. She and Ash shared a laugh as they saw their hats not matching with the other's clothes.

Misty continued to react through her thoughts. _"Is she flirting?"_

When Leslie switched back the hats, she gave a sigh of farewell. "Well, it was nice meeting you guys! Good luck in the Pokemon League Ash!"

"Yeah, you too."

Albert and Leslie turned away – shoulder by shoulder – as they walked further into the crowd, lost in sight.

.::.

Later that night…at the local Pokemon Center…

"Remember that girl Leslie from earlier?" Brock asked Ash and Misty, sitting in front of a computer monitor to arrange a scouting report for every possible opponent for Ash.

"Yeah, she seemed nice." Ash brought up.

"Ugh. Don't remind me of her!" Misty disagreed, facing a blank wall.

"What's the matter, Misty? It was because of her, I didn't get disqualified."

"I know but c'mon Ash! She was so fake! How would you explain her friend wanting to battle you! That guy took a huge risk, and you could've been easily disqualified! You were lucky Officer Jenny made an exception."

"He probably didn't know the rules…that's all. After all, he's just a cheerleader."

Misty grunted at Ash's indirect insults to her. She was Ash's cheerleader. "Well you're a participant Ash…and you don't know the rules, either. It's always me or Brock that has to remind you."

It was Ash's turn to grunt.

"That guy definitely knew the rules, all right." Brock intervened. "It says on the League website that he's been coaching a trainer for years, who is now the defending Pokemon League Champion."

"The defending champion!" Ash jumped off his seat and rushed over to the computer screen.

Misty soon followed.

They all gasped in surprise when they saw the words 'Defending Champion' and Leslie's picture posted underneath it.

**To Be Continued**

That's the end of part 1. If you were wondering _which_ Pokemon League this is, I'm not so sure either. It was supposed to be the Indigo Plateau, but it wouldn't make sense since they already know Mr. Goodshow and Ash is famous. But don't worry, the region isn't an important piece to the story.

Look out for the next one! The background story to Leslie!

Significant Points:

- Ash and friends arrive at the Pokemon League

- Ash and friends meet two other main characters, Leslie and Albert

- Ash and friends find out Leslie is the defending champion


	2. Idol Conversation

The preliminaries weren't easy to pass as Ash survived his way into the final tournament spot. He had to win two out of three matches, each match consisting of very well-trained Pokemon. There was a shatter in Ash's confidence when he lost his first battle, but the motivation from Brock and the discipline from Misty were enough to jerk Ash out of his slump. It was neck-to-neck the rest of the way, with Ash's Pikachu almost losing to a Parasect at the closing seconds. The stun spore that came from Parasect's giant mushroom shell immobilized Pikachu for a while, but Ash's instincts kicked in that told Pikachu to try one final thundershock focusing on the shell. The Parasect lost consciousness just seconds before Pikachu, awarding Ash the victory in a landslide.

"Pikachu, you did it!" Ash ran over to the Pokemon's rested body, picked him up and rocked him in his arms. Glints of Ash's tears fell on Pikachu's face, both of them realizing their escape of near elimination. Their thoughts of gratefulness shifted to thoughts of fulfillment, as Misty and Brock joined in celebration.

"Pikachu and the rest of your Pokemon need to be healed at the Pokemon Center, right away" Brock advised Ash, looking at their poor conditions after just witnessing their battles.

"And while we wait, we can have lunch!" Misty suggested, using one hand to press her stomach to represent her hunger. The beginning of the preliminaries started at 8:00 am sharp; with barely any time for breakfast, the word lunch alone brought delight to the three trainers.

The Pokemon Center they had spent the night at was crowded to the extent of people forming a line outside the door. Ash moaned as he anticipated a long wait before they were in reaching distance to the counter. He was contemplating on eating now and healing his Pokemon later, but he shunned the thought of prioritizing himself before his own Pokemon. No self-proclaiming Pokemon trainer would ever do that, especially if the pokemon were as injured as his were.

_Grumble!_ That was the sound that came out of the pits of their stomachs as they finally left the Pokemon Center and on the way to a nearby restaurant. But it was hard to travel a few inches, as the streets were no less crowded than the Pokemon Center or the area they first arrived coming into the Pokemon League. The three of them tried to mingle their way through, saying the occasional 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' until they realized their voices were drowned by the city noise. The heavy breeze carried a blue pamphlet, which flew over to Ash's direction as he caught it with his hand. Ash mused at the piece paper before he saw millions of identical pamphlets circling the air.

"What'd you get there?" asked Misty, with the same lack of knowledge as Ash had.

Ash opened the pamphlet slowly, afraid that the harsh winds would wrinkle it. "It's the League Match-ups!"

Brock turned his head at the sound of those words. "Look for your picture so you can see your first opponent!"

"There, I see you!" Misty pointed out, revealing a very awkward picture of Ash.

The image of Ash had him with his tongue stuck out, eyes-crossed, and a hand raised to form a peace-sign.

"Ash! You've spoiled what could have been a very nice picture!" Misty responded to the informal portrait.

"Huh?"

Misty clasped her hands over her mouth. Did she just say that? It was a very vague message but the meaning could easily be figured out, even by the likes of Ash. It was true that she thought Ash was cute and accepted that truth ages ago. But she would touch every bug Pokemon in the world before admitting it to him. That defined how much she regretted saying those words.

"Hi Ash! Misty! Brock!" greeted Leslie, as she and Albert were being dragged by the crowd and coincidently running into them.

"Hm…oh hi!" waved Ash merrily.

"So what are you guys up to?"

Brock answered this time. "We were going to grab a bite to eat."

"What a coincidence! Us too!"

"_Yeah…_big_ coincidence. It's so unusual for people to eat at 12:00 pm,"_ Misty thought sarcastically to herself, who was once bitter at the mentioning of her name was now twice as bitter at Leslie's presence.

"Hey, I know! Let's all have lunch together! I'll even pay!" Leslie offered, as she told everyone to steer away from the crowd.

"That sounds great! Thank you!" said a gratuitous Ash.

Misty smirked. _"This girl is gonna pay for Ash's lunch? She has no idea what she just got herself into…"_ In the many experiences eating with Ash, she knew he would eat a _lot_. He wouldn't stop eating until he was satisfied and he didn't have the courtesy to ask for a little when someone else was paying. Her emotions soon turned to sorrow when she realized that he was the one she thought was cute.

As the group of five browsed the city for a fine eating establishment, Leslie showed no shyness to walk next to Ash the whole way. Together they talked about how they both passed the preliminaries, with Ash winning his last two matches and Leslie winning her first two matches. It was battle talk the rest of the way until they reached an acceptable eating place.

"This place looks great!" Leslie exclaimed, when a tasty odor wafted its way to her nose.

"The place is not that crowded, either!" Albert added, spotting many available tables through the door.

"Not so fast folks…" A burly attendant guarded the entrance. "May I see your League membership cards?"

Ash and Leslie flashed their cards to the man, as he unclipped a velvet rope like a bouncer in a nightclub. As the two trainers entered, the man immediately clipped it back before Brock, Misty, or Albert could follow.

"May I see your League membership cards?"

"We're with them…you see?" Misty clarified, grabbing Ash's shirt before he could enter any further. "We're not participants."

"This restaurant is for Pokemon League participants _only_. No card, no entry." The attendant replied gruffly.

Misty was getting ticked as she pulled Ash's shirt even harder, causing him to skid backward.

"Don't worry Misty, we'll just find someplace else to eat…"

Her grip began to relax and soon Ash was free. She was relieved to hear that Ash didn't forget about her. If Ash and Leslie were to eat alone in a restaurant, she might've freaked! That would be the closest thing to a date for Ash, and it would be with Leslie instead of her.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Leslie stuck her index finger in the air to foreshadow a proposal. "How 'bout me and Ash stay here while you guys eat somewhere else? That way, me and Ash can get further acquainted and learn about each other's Pokemon!"

"Well, it's beneficial for participants to interact and learn more about their competition." Brock mentioned, grabbing his chin as he spoke.

Was it time to punch Brock's nose again? Nothing would have stopped Misty if they weren't in a public setting. Misty's worst fear wasn't dead yet, as she waited for Ash's reply.

"Is that okay with you, Misty?" Ash stared at Misty, as he became aware of her somber expression.

Misty was surprised as to why Ash would be so concerned for her. Misty shrugged out of instinct, "Do whatever ya want, Ash. I'm not your mother or anything." But one second later, she regretted what she had said. She could've said 'no' but her stubborn nature wouldn't allow it; and in consequence, Ash and Leslie would be eating together. Alone.

"Alright Ash, let's go." Leslie hooked her arm around Ash's and led him to an empty table. They waved a 'see ya later' to their traveling companions as they took their seats. Misty took one last glance at them before she turned away.

"Are you up for cheeseburgers, Misty?" Brock suggested, as they were walking around aimlessly. "I think we passed by a cheeseburger place earlier, but it was too crowded. It must've cleared by now."

Misty nodded right away to not be bothered. Then she realized that they've totally forgotten about their third partner for the time being. He shivered nervously when Misty stared at him, "What's your name again? Albert?"

He made a straight face and gave her a nod, "Yep."

.::.

Meanwhile Ash and Leslie were delivered their lunch by a smiley waitress, whose service was overly satisfactory. Ash looked around as there were many knick-knacks that hung over the walls and ceilings. He guessed that there was supposed to be some kind of theme, but he couldn't recall any of the objects into mind. Whatever they were, he knew this was one of those foreign restaurants that Misty was so fond of. But the ambiance felt nice as he dipped into his chair in comfort.

"You must be hungry!" Leslie gaped, as Ash scoffed his main dish in a few bites before licking the bottom of the plate.

"Nah, not really…"

Leslie sweat-dropped as she saw Ash pounding his chest to cough up some lodged food. She decided to wait until he had a clear throat before saying, "Ash…there's a reason I wanted to eat with you today. I want to talk. And not just about Pokemon."

Ash stopped his eating, stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Me too!" Ash managed to say in between chews.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I did some research last night and I found out that you're the defending champion of the Pokemon League!" said Ash, wanting to hear it from her as he still had some doubts.

Leslie giggled. "So you just found that out _last_ night?"

"Huh?"

"I've always known who you were and you haven't won anything…" Leslie smirked, as her small tease made Ash upset. "…Yet, you didn't know who I was until just last night. That's kind of insulting, no?"

Realizing what she meant, Ash felt remorse. It's just that he had never shown any interest in Pokemon League history before. He had decided to focus only on himself and his own journey. He didn't need some Pokemon League champion for an idol to gain inspiration and motivation from, because he got that from his friends. Besides, seeing _other _people win wasn't enjoyable as actually winning.

"I'm sorry…"

"C'mon Ash, can't you take a joke? I was just kidding!" Leslie raised her hands to the height of her chest and lowered them to signal Ash to calm down. "But now let's get serious…" She unzipped her jacket to pull out a blue pamphlet.

"That's right! You wanted to say something, too?"

"I'm guessing that you've seen the League match-ups, am I right?" Leslie was about to open the paper until Ash pulled out his own copy.

"Yeah, well sort of. All I managed to see was my own picture…wait! I forgot to check out my opponent!" Ash opened his pamphlet, for the fear of matching up with Leslie. It's not that he was afraid of her. It's just that he had an ongoing streak of being matched up with friends, a streak that he'd like to be put to rest. "Let's see…I'm going to battle with some guy named Toro."

"And who will you battle next if you win?" Leslie asked with a small hint of anticipation.

"Well, depending on who wins…it will either be some guy named Kristof or…" Ash saw the picture and made a brief pause. "…you?"

"That's right!" Leslie took a stand as she pointed at herself with her thumb. "If everything goes right, I'll be your second-round opponent!"

"W-What a coincidence, huh?"

"Yup. Though I'd say it's kind of fitting, really. It'll be an honor battling with you in my last Pokemon League."

"Your last Pokemon League?!" Ash jumped up out of his seat as he realized that the both of them were standing now.

"It's true. After this, I'll be retiring from Pokemon League battling for good."

Ash was rendered speechless for a second until he made this remark, "But you're so young!"

Leslie couldn't help but blush a little at that. Then her cap fell on her eyes as she gave a frown. "It's nice that you're trying to change my mind, but it's useless. The life of a trainer is not for me. I'm miserable."

"But what if you win again this year? Don't you want to protect your title? What about your legacy?" Ash was just pouring out questions from his mouth.

"Ash…I've accomplished what a million of people can only _dream_ of! I'd say one League title is already a legacy, don't ya think?"

To this, Ash had to agree heartily. A person was lucky enough to have one title; sometimes he wondered if he was ever going to win his own title since his last couple of tries didn't end so sweet. "Does Albert, your coach, already know about this?"

"No…" She couldn't lie. Her cheerleader, her coach, her friend did not know about this huge decision. She had tried, many times, but there was never a right time.

"If you haven't told_ him_, then why are you telling me?"

"Well that's the thing! I admire you as a trainer. You have a killer instinct when it comes to getting out of sticky situations and the bond between you and your Pokemon is unquestionable!" Leslie ended her praise, "So that's why…if it came down to it…I would let you win."

"What?!" Ash was already standing up, so his astonishment caused him to rise on his tip-toes until he couldn't get any higher.

Leslie pretty much expected this type of reaction, but nevertheless raised an eyebrow in suspect. "Didn't you hear me?"

Ash came back into his senses, as he ignored her question and replied to the statement before it. "Listen, I appreciate the offer. But I like to win my battles fair-and-square."

Those words were a silencer to Leslie. She and Ash took this pause to sit down at the same time.

"Like I said, I don't really care for this competition. If anyone were to win, I'd want it to be you." Leslie sighed, as it was hard work to get Ash to agree to her logic. "Just think about it, 'kay?"

.::.

Later that night…Brock and Misty were at the Pokemon Center. But they hadn't seen Ash since they'd separated.

Misty made use of her time by checking out the computer, because looking at the door waiting for Ash's return had its limits. The limits in question did not have to do with Misty being bored, but moreso of Misty being impatient. Whereas, Brock had no worry for Ash as he took an early end to the day to sleep.

"_Leslie, Leslie, Leslie…"_ Misty thought in her mind as she browsed through the dozens of Leslie's that were registered into the competition. She had finally found the picture of the Leslie she was looking for as she viewed her League profile.

**Age: 16**

**Gender: Female**

**Status: Single**

"_Wait, single? Why does the Pokemon League need to know that? Anyways moving on…"_

**Pokemon: Ampharos, Tentacruel, Xatu, Typhlosion, Jumpluff, Ursaring… (click for more)**

**Idols: DJ Mary, Prima, Ash Ketchum**

"_DJ Mary? Alright…Prima? That's cool…Ash Ketchum?"_ Misty read them slowly from left-to-right until the sight of Ash's name made her scream aloud.

"What?!" She immediately covered her mouth, for the fear of waking up Brock. She closed her tired eyes and opened them again to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. As soon as she realized that they weren't, the truth began to sink in after a couple of seconds. No wonder Leslie was so anxious to eat with him…

Misty pictured Ash and Leslie sitting together in the restaurant alone, talking and laughing and eating and whatever else people did on dates. Why did she feel so insecure? Misty didn't have a crush on Ash, did she? It took almost three years just to accept that he was cute. Why should she care if Ash was on a date but not with her? Her imagined scenario of Ash and Leslie began to progress when he leaned over to give her a kiss. Leslie kissed back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The full moon shined through the window and illuminated the scene, portraying the romantic moment Misty had always wanted.

"Stop it!" Misty grabbed the sides of her head and let out a tiny enough shriek to not wake Brock. What was that about? Why would she care if Ash kissed someone? Sure she admitted that she didn't like Leslie, but was her reaction necessary? There was no other reason, after six years of knowing Ash Ketchum, she had developed a little crush on him. Even though it was a little one, it was still a crush. How the heck did this happen?

The doorknob started to jiggle and Misty jumped out of her seat to open it first. "Ash?"

Ash appeared at the door, hugging his arms to keep himself warm from the night winds. "Hi Misty, are you still awake?"

"Nope, I think I'm sleep-walking again…" Misty said with a sarcastic effect. "Anyways, Nurse Joy said all of your Pokemon will make a full recovery."

She wanted to build-up a conversation before asking her next question.

"Oh that's great!"

"Yeah. So what are you doing here so late?"

"Well me and Leslie were just talking the whole time…" Ash sat down on a chair in fatigue. "…then before we knew it, the restaurant was closing! Sorry if I worried you, Misty."

Misty blushed at Ash's sincere apology. Suddenly having a crush on him didn't seem so ludicrous. Realizing that she's been silent for the past few seconds, she decided to give the first response that came to mind. "D-Do you honestly believe that I stayed awake because I was worried about you? I just couldn't sleep, that's all!"

Ash might've taken defense for that, but his tired mood forced him to fold. "Okay, sorry Misty…"

"_Would he stop saying he's sorry already?! Why did I have to shout at him? Damn…"_ Misty thought, as it could be said that she was fighting herself rather than Ash.

"Geez Louise. You guys sure know when to pick a fight…" Brock was now in a sitting position with his legs folded and his heels dug into the mattress, rubbing his eye as he spoke. When he noticed Ash was still in his jeans and shoes, he looked at the clock before asking, "Ash, did you just get here?"

"Um yeah, I kinda lost track of time."

Brock gave him a smirk and his mind wandered off to different possibilities, "So…what'cha been doing?"

"What does that mean?"

"You know…with _her_…"

"What?! Nothing! Nothing at all!" Ash felt his face bubbling red from Brock's debasing. "All we did was learn about each other's Pokemon, like she said before, remember?"

Misty had grown tired of this topic of discussion, as she attempted to put a stop to it. "Ash, I don't think you should talk to that girl anymore. I didn't really get a good vibe from her."

"C'mon Misty, there's a chance Ash will battle Leslie in the second round." Brock cut in again, "It's essential for Ash to learn more and more about his competition."

What was Brock doing? He's been such an irritant lately. She ignored him and faced Ash, "Alright Ash, today what exactly _did_ you learn about her then?"

"Um…" Ash was searching for an answer. Now that he thought about it, even after that long talk, he knew nothing about Leslie's Pokemon or her battle-style.

Ash stumbled. He didn't want to tell them the truth, about Leslie losing on purpose, because he wasn't sure if they would be okay with it. He wasn't even sure if he was okay with it himself. If Ash was to win the Pokemon League, Misty and Brock would know that the trophy would be a sham and that would completely destroy the essence of winning. On the walk to the Pokemon Center, he thought of different ways to convince Leslie otherwise. In the meantime, he would just keep this a secret. No wonder Leslie couldn't tell Albert about it.

Instead Ash decided it was best to be honest, "I have no idea."

Misty, with a clenched fist ready, pummeled Ash in pure frustration. It was going to be a long long night.

**To Be Continued**

This chapter is a little better than the last. Please review, whether it be a positive comment or negative comment or question or whatever. I'm almost to 100 hits on chapter one, but 0 reviews. C'mon folks! It only takes 5 seconds to review o_O

Significant Points:

- Leslie tells Ash that she'd let him win

- Misty realizes her crush for Ash


	3. Respect: Overrated?

A crackle from a firework raised everyone off of their seats in delirious screams. Soon enough a barrage of colorful fireworks shot up into the air, colorful with reds and blues and yellows and so on. The sky now looked like a picture book, as the pigmented sparks began to form into the shape of various Pokemon. There were purple sparks that formed into a Nidoran. There were green sparks to shape into a Bellossom. And for the grand finale, there were silver sparks that were used to outline a Lugia which everyone seemed to like best as it was truly a sight to behold. Although it was daytime, the presentation fell nothing short of amazing.

The location was held at the Pokemon League's main stadium, shaped like a colossal oval with a capacity of twenty-five thousand spectators. Every seat was taken.

"Brock, couldn't you pick a worse time to have overslept?" Misty whined, turning her head every two seconds to look for an empty seat. Brock kept a close eye as well.

"I see one!" Brock pointed at a seat from very top of the arena. He ran like a bullet, past the crowd and past the hotdog vender, as he was only a couple of steps away. He pushed a little kid out of the way in the process but the kid retaliated and tripped Brock's ankles. His face fell flat on the concrete steps, before Misty walked past him. She took the seat without shame.

"Hey! That was my seat…" Brock said cowardly, failing to uphold his position.

"Hey!" Misty repeated in a mocking tone. "You snooze, you lose…"

Brock let out a moan and leaned on a pillar instead. As they were getting comfortable, the opening ceremonies were about to start. A face appeared on a giant screen, the expanded face of Mr. Goodshow, welcoming the audience with his famous looks and charismatic voice.

"_Welcome to the Pokemon League! Thank you all for coming!"_ Mr. Goodshow voiced through a giant audio system, with the headset he was wearing. _"We have another sold-out crowd this year, making it the thirtieth year in a row! A record untouched by all organized Pokemon events!"_

The crowd gave a loud huzzah, as they all pretended to give themselves a pat on the back.

"_Now, without further ado, I introduce to you…the participants!"_

A slow stampede of trainers entered the stadium below, marching in an unorganized matter. Misty and Brock were jerking around to spot Ash but it was impossible to have a view at the stadium in their current location. Then Brock noticed someone waving in the front row, and it seemed like he was waving in their direction.

"Misty, look down there! That guy at the front row!"

Misty saw what he was talking about, "Who do you think it is?"

She and Brock both stood up and decided to walk a little closer. They couldn't tell who it was or if it was important, but Misty thought it was important enough to sacrifice the only seat she had. As they approached even closer, they were finally close enough to see that Albert was the one waving.

"Hey you guys! What are you doing _way_ up there? I've got two extra seats right here!" Albert shouted, as he continued to wave his hands.

"Oh thanks!" Misty replied, as she took one.

"Yes! Thank you!" Brock was grateful he no longer had to lean on that pillar, as he sank into a seat in soothing relief.

As the crowd of trainers continued to march, Ash was finally spotted as he was one of the last to enter the stadium.

"I see Ash!" Misty pointed to inform Brock and they both cheered as loud as they could. Ash probably couldn't hear them, but cheering was just an obligation between friends.

"And there's Leslie, too!" Brock pointed to where Leslie was, all the way across the arena from Ash, and he decided to cheer for her as well. Misty grimaced, but she still clapped her hands in kindness. But what was Albert doing? Misty and Brock stared at him, but he neither cheered nor clapped; in fact, he looked rather bored as he rested his head on his palm.

"Hey why aren't you cheering for Leslie?" Brock asked him.

Misty asked too, with a mix of words. "Yeah, are you guys fighting or something?"

Albert snapped back into reality and smiled weakly, "No. It's nothing really." He then began to clap, though he seemed compelled to do so.

.::.

Meanwhile Ash was marching in the opening ceremonies…

"Where is Leslie?" Ash asked himself aloud, casting his eyes at every angle to look for her. "I haven't seen her the whole day. I think I could finally change her mind about this whole 'losing on purpose' issue."

Since it was an unorganized march, Ash began to speed up. At first he was power walking, then jogged, then ran as he passed many trainers who just stared at him blankly. Ash felt a little embarrassed, running at the ceremonies while everybody else was walking and waving to the crowd. He had traveled across the whole arena in a couple of minutes, where he had to catch some breath. Leslie was still nowhere in sight. It wasn't until the march came into a halt, that he saw her.

"Leslie, I found you…"

"Shhhh! They're about to light the flame," Leslie murmured. She stood like a statue as the grand tradition was being performed before her very eyes. A bulky man – the torch bearer – was climbing the stairs that led to the main stage and further to the cauldron. By the time he ignited the flame, Leslie let out a cheer and batted her hands together. Although she was sick of Pokemon League battling, she still remained proud of its ceremonious affairs.

During a long introduction, combined with short musical performances and a video montage of last year's tournament, Ash was getting tired in his legs from standing the whole span of an hour or so. The performances were ultimately entertaining, with people dressing in Pokemon costumes and dancing and singing. It was a bit odd seeing a person dressed as a Wigglytuff sing the National Anthem, but it was time-consuming in the least. Then came the video montage, and everybody hushed quiet. The video played on the same screen that showed Mr. Goodshow's giant head. It had some typical heavy metal song to pump up the crowd and later on used a soft mushy song to lighten the mood. At the end, it showed Leslie holding the League Trophy in her arms and a glimpse of Albert jumping for joy at the background.

"_Leslie looks really really happy…"_ Ash seemed to notice, as all it did was make him want to win even more.

"Hey is that her?" Some random trainer asked.

"Yeah, it's the girl from the video!" Another said. "It's the defending champion!"

Millions of heads seemed to turn at once towards Leslie, as all she could do was wince. The trainers began to charge over, hoping for an autograph or some battle tips. She was about to cower in fear until Ash grabbed her arm and led her out of the stadium and into the locker room hallways. They were safe for now.

"Thanks a bunch, Ash…" Leslie replied, with her hands pushing down on her knees and out of breath.

"No problem…" Ash gave a reply in a similar manner.

"No but really! Thank you!" She repeated again, to show her appreciation. "That was really brave!"

Leslie gave him a wink, packaged with a smile. What was that about? All Ash did was grab her hand and run. There was nothing really brave about it. Ash decided it was time to change the subject.

"Well, now that we're alone…" Ash's words caused Leslie to shudder. "Let's talk about this whole 'you losing to me' thing."

"C'mon Ash, don't make this difficult. I thought we've already decided this yesterday."

"No, you told me to think about it…" Ash countered smartly. "Now I thought all about it last night, and there's a reason you can't forfeit the match!"

"Well let's hear it…"

Ash replied with few words but with great feeling, "Your Pokemon."

Leslie brushed her fingers through her hair and unleashed a big laugh. "Are you done? And you say that you spent the _whole _night thinking about it?"

"Well, yeah?" Ash was confused. He was sure that this would knock at least _some_ sense into her.

Leslie reached around her belt, that she wore above her pink skirt, to clutch a pokeball. She held it above her head and a red light was emitted; an Ampharos emerged from it as it said its name. The Pokemon had beautiful golden skin that matched Leslie's golden hair. This was her strongest Pokemon and it was an electric-type, a resemblance to Ash and his Pikachu. Ash was wondering as to why Leslie would call out her Pokemon until he caught a glance of its eyes, its big happy eyes. This was no ordinary Pokemon, it was so…innocent. The Pikachu on Ash's shoulders jumped off and started to play with the Ampharos while Ash and Leslie continued talking.

"I still don't get it…" Ash was still wondering what point she was trying to make.

"Take a look into its eyes," Leslie instructed and Ash followed. Staring into its eyes for a second time, there was the same amount of innocence as it had before.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that its eyes are really really…"

"…Innocent? Naive? Pure?" Leslie cut him off. "You see, the reason for that is my Pokemon don't like to fight. They're like me. They just want to enjoy themselves. So that's why, when I retire, I'll settle down in one place. Probably in Ecruteak City! There'll be no more traveling and no more tournaments…"

"Oh…I think I get it now!"

"I'm glad…" Leslie smiled. It seemed as though she finally had Ash convinced.

"There you are, Ash!" Misty came running into the hallways, along with Brock and Albert at her tail.

"Misty?" Ash turned around and so did Leslie.

"Ash, that was some exit!" Brock added, referring to when he was drove out of the stadium by a crowd of overexcited trainers.

"Heh thanks…"

Misty stared at Ash, completely hypnotized by her own infatuation. He was going to battle in the Pokemon League, and she couldn't be more proud of him. Some of her feelings from before – about her being jealous of Ash – had mostly gone away. She didn't know where this change of heart had come from, but it happened around the time when she realized that she had a crush on him. She avoided the sight of Leslie because she was still bitter about the 'date' she had last night with Ash. But today would be different; she would spend the whole day with him as they would train for the matches ahead.

"So Ash, we better start your training!" Misty yelled in her coach-voice, although she was smiling inside her heart. "It's good not to waste any time."

"Leslie, us too…" said Albert.

"Um, actually, I think I'm going to spend the day socializing with other participants." Leslie was the first to respond. "And Ash is coming with me, right Ash?"

She already grabbed hold of Ash's hand, though she did not use any force.

"Okay," Ash did not see the problem with saying yes. Sure he had to train for his upcoming battles, but this was not the only free day he had. He could train tomorrow, perhaps the day after that. He didn't think it was really that big of a deal. Not like Misty did.

"Ash! Our training!" Misty probably should have said 'your training', but it seemed that no one had noticed.

"Don't worry, Misty. Later on, okay?"

Misty reluctantly gave a nod. It was not the time for another attitude. Her constant screaming had her head aching, and she decided it was best to agree peacefully. Ash was right, he could train later…but she wanted him badly _now_. Then she realized that she was extremely jealous of Leslie; she had the fame Misty had always wanted, she had the adoring fans Misty had always wanted, and she had the boy Misty had always wanted. Misty restrained her grieving and hid it with a smile.

As Ash and Leslie ran back towards the stadium entrance, they opened the door and the swarm of trainers waiting outside came running into their direction. Out of fear, Ash and Leslie immediately closed the door on their faces. Leslie put her hand across her heart as it pumped viciously, while Ash widened his eyes in shock. The both of them were now sitting down, leaning their backs against the door that separated them from the riot outside.

"You can't socialize with them. They'll eat you alive!" Brock advised, though in a humorous way.

Leslie snapped out of her scared-state. "Don't worry! They're just people, right?"

She opened the door again, now knowing what to expect. They both entered the stadium hurriedly and the sound of the crowd muted once they closed the door behind them.

"Well, here we are again…" Brock joked, laughing at the situation.

Misty released a frown once Ash had left.

"I guess we can all eat some breakfast now…" Brock suggested. The three of them walked towards the opposite direction of the stadium entrance and into the city entrance. They were about to open the door until a Nurse Joy barreled through, almost hitting Brock's face on the glass surface.

"Pardon me, I'd help you out but I'm in a hurry!" yelped the Nurse, running without looking back.

This Nurse Joy was not like the rest of the crop. She was not out of Brock's age circle like most of the Nurse Joy's were; she was a teenager, just like them. Perhaps Brock had a legitimate chance at this girl.

"Sorry…I got to…bye!" Brock ran fiercely before losing sight of the teenage Nurse Joy, leaving Misty and Albert alone. The two of them decided to sit on a bench, waiting for Brock's rejection to commence. But Brock did not return for awhile.

Misty was still frowning as she sat. The two of them were motionless until Misty decided to observe him, seeing that his eyes were droopy and his mouth was tense. It was the same expression he had when they were both in the stands.

"So how are you?" She asked him out of boredom.

His tried to shrug off his anxiety and answer in a straight face, "I'm fine."

But she didn't buy it, "Anything the matter?"

He paused for a long time. By each passing second, his face began to tension once more. "You know the time when I challenged Ash to a battle?"

"Oh yeah…" She suddenly remembered. "…and Ash almost got disqualified because of you!"

"I know…and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disqualify him, if that's what you're thinking."

Seeing Albert's glum face, Misty felt remorse. She regretted yelling at some guy she barely even knew and without even giving him a chance to explain himself.

Albert continued, "Sometimes my temper just gets the better of me…"

"Temper? Towards Ash?" Misty would always have a temper towards Ash, but she was wondering why Albert would. "Is there something he did?"

Albert began to blush and pulled his hoodless jean jacket over his head in embarrassment. "Perhaps I said too much…"

Misty could not ignore this. This guy had a grudge against Ash and she had to figure out what it was. "Alright spill it!"

He removed his jacket from over his head and when he turned to face Misty, she gave him a glare. "Well, it's not something he did…it's just…"

Misty leaned her head forward in anticipation.

He continued, "Leslie just can't stop talking about him!"

"Huh?"

"Even when you guys aren't around! Even during our journeys back then! Ash is all she talks about! And…and…" He started to stutter. He was annoyed to be constantly reminded of Ash over and over and over again. So Albert challenged Ash to see why Leslie was so fond of him.

"Well…what's wrong with that? So she talks about Ash a lot…big deal," said Misty. But alas, it was a big deal for her as well. Ash always talked about Leslie, although that may be an exaggeration; nonetheless, the several times when he did talk about her made Misty fidget uneasily. But Misty had a crush on Ash. Why would Albert have these feelings concerning Leslie? Unless…

She continued, "Hey I think…you may have a _thing_ for Leslie." Misty smirked, as she put her hands together and curved them to make a sign shaped like heart.

It took awhile, but Albert finally understood Misty's clue. A tint of red began to shroud his face as he squirmed in his seat, "What! Are you crazy?! I've never heard of anything so preposterous!"

Misty put her hand over her mouth to hide a giggle, while Albert put his jacket over his head once again.

"So I'm guessing that's a 'yes'?" Misty continued to tease.

"Look, all I'm asking is for a little respect from her!"

"Respect from Leslie?"

Albert cursed in his mind. He was spouting too much of his feelings! How did his apology develop into an intimate conversation? He decided it wouldn't hurt to say more, "Yeah. You see…Leslie is gonna retire from the Pokemon League after this year. And she is planning to let Ash win when they face-off."

"What?! Let Ash win?!" Misty was hit by a surprise but she remained focused at what Albert said earlier. "But how is that disrespectful to you?"

"Well, Leslie hasn't exactly told me about it yet. I've overheard her talking to herself one night…"

"She talks to herself?"

"Yeah, it's one her many quirks." Albert laughed a bit at this. Leslie was kind of a weird girl if you got to know her more. 'Weird' was her trademark while 'forgettable' was probably Albert's.

Misty shrugged, "I still don't understand how is that disrespectful to you. If anything, you're disrespecting her for eavesdropping." She didn't even like Leslie, but she felt that she needed to defend her regarding things like this.

He took a sigh. "Please…I thought that you would understand out of all people. You are a coach to Ash just like I am a coach to Leslie. We both try so hard to motivate them! But if they plan on giving up, all of our hard work goes to waste! It's sort of a stab in the back, don't ya think?"

Misty was enlightened by his words. If Ash ever planned on losing, she would feel disrespected as well. But Misty thought it wasn't in her place to demand respect.

"Albert, I think Leslie is old enough to make her own decisions…" Misty looked at him sagely.

"I know but…" Albert dropped a tear, as he digging even deeper into his feelings. "…it's like I'm being treated like a sidekick rather than a friend."

Sidekick. That word reminded Misty of the many times she had been tossed aside as Ash took charge.

"Albert, chin up, you've got to talk to Leslie about this!"

"But…"

"No buts! This is the life of a coach!" Misty had shouted but quickly shifted to a smile. "It's our job to deal with our thickheaded trainers, right?"

"I guess…"

Just then, Brock ran back holding a crumpled up napkin in his hand. He looked very happy.

"Hey, I just got that Nurse Joy's number!"

.::.

Later on that day…

It was almost sundown and Ash was walking down the street, wearing a smile from the all the fun and all the trainers he got to meet. He had just departed from Leslie and was on his way to the Pokemon Center. He saw the building but focused all of his attention to the person leaning on the stone wall that surrounded it.

"What's up Misty? So are you waiting for me again?" Ash asked, whose grin was probably about to disappear any moment now.

"I am _not_ waiting for you!" She reacted predictably. But Misty was telling the truth this time; she just wanted to take in some fresh air and Ash coincidentally found her. It was just bad timing on her part.

"Whatever you say…" Ash teased her, still in his good mood. "You just wanted some fresh air, right?"

Misty became irritated. She wanted to hurt him for ditching her again, but she knew that her temper was just getting the best of her. Ash was going to enter the Pokemon Center, hoping to get an early sleep, but Misty didn't want to lose this chance to be alone with him.

"Ash wait!"

"Hmm?" Ash turned his head alertly.

"I have something that I want to tell you!"

"It sounds urgent! What is it?"

Misty stumbled. What did she want to tell him? Was she going to reveal her secret?

"Umm…" Instead Misty brought up the second thing that came to mind (her love for Ash being the first). "Don't ask me how I know this, but Leslie is going to let you win when you guys go head-to-head!"

Ash was surprised, not by the news but by the person telling the news. "Yeah…about that…"

"You knew?"

He nodded nervously, forgetting that he was supposed to keep this a secret.

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Misty felt a hunch of disrespect. Perhaps this was what Albert was talking about.

Ash had grown tiresome of Misty's constant attitude towards Leslie. "I didn't think it concerned you, that's all!"

Ash had accidentally raised his voice one octave too high, enough to unleash the savage Misty.

"Doesn't concern me?! First, you ditch me and Brock to hang out with Leslie! And second, you don't return to the Pokemon Center until the end of the day! Don't you know how worried I was about you?!"

"I can take care of myself, Misty!" Ash did not falter to Misty's sudden implode. "Besides, I wasn't alone. I had Leslie with me."

"I've already told you that girl was trouble! Don't you realize that she's only telling you that stuff to mess up your battle strategy?"

"How paranoid can you be?! Leslie is not like that!"

"Oh yeah?! Why else would she let you win?!"

Ash didn't really know the answer to that question either. Leslie had said that she wanted to settle down in one place to watch her Pokemon have fun, but something still did not quite add up. Leslie has shown affection to Ash, obvious enough for even Ash to notice. Could it be…

"I-I think Leslie may have a crush on me…"

Misty was taken aback by this. "W-Why do you think that?"

"Well, she's been giving me a lot of compliments lately. She told me that I was really brave for saving her earlier today. Oh, and she also gave me a wink." Ash tried to imitate the wink as best he could.

Misty was frustrated. She had been giving him winks for years and Ash was too dense to suspect a thing. Then Leslie winks at him _one time_ and all of a sudden Ash thinks of it as a crush?

"Ha that's funny! How could anyone have a crush on _you_?" Misty was degrading the very person she had a crush on, making herself look dumb.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

She ignored his question with a shrug.

"That's it! Stop telling me what to do on _my_ journey!"

"_Your_ journey? You think of this as only _your_ journey?"

But Ash regretted his words. He knew that he would've never made it this far without his friends. They have gone through so much together and he couldn't have given a worse insult.

"Misty, I'm sorr-"

"Shut it Ash! You ungrateful…" Misty couldn't even finish her sentence as she ran away to cover the tears flowing from her eyes. All of a sudden, her feelings of jealousy towards Ash were back! She could not be a sidekick anymore. She needed to find…her own competition to win.

**To Be Continued**

Geez this was hard. I hope the bottom half wasn't confusing to read because I jammed in a bunch of dialogue. It wasn't too much was it? There's just so much going on. This will probably be the only time Misty and Albert interact, so I had to put so much stuff. Please let it be good t-_-t

**Significant Points**:

-Albert feels disrespected by Leslie

-Misty finds out the secret of Leslie planning to lose

-Ash and Misty get into huge argument

-Misty does not want to be a sidekick anymore

**Author's Response**:

chris: Thank you for being first. The really long review deserves a nod as well. Thanks for the compliments too. You think of her looking like Marina? That's pretty cool. But it's also odd since I imagine her looking like Domino from the 'Mewtwo Returns' movie.

Rogue Ninja: Thanks for the comment! I've just barely introduced the plot so it'll be clear later on.

Lonewolf47: Thanks for the compliments. But more importantly thanks for the suggestion. I know that I haven't really described characters well, but I think it's best to leave some stuff to the imagination. But just in case, I've described some outer appearances in chapter 3 (Leslie has a hat, jacket, pink skirt, and golden hair. Albert has a jean jacket) Read my response to chris.

ZannaB: Thank you for the comment. I'm glad that I made you want to read more :)


	4. Breakfast and a Chase

**Author's Notes:**

**Hello, sorry for the wait. I don't usually put author's notes in the beginning of a chapter but this is important. If you go back to chapter 3, you'll see that I took off the whole 'diary' scene. I've been wanting to take that out for a long time because it completely strays off from the conversation. Instead, Albert discovers the secret by a different reason. Thank you!**

Sleeping on the bench outside gave you bug bites. Sleeping on the couch in the lobby gave you a crick in the neck. Ash pondered for awhile to see which was worse; eventually, he picked the latter. Well he actually wanted to pick the bench, but the noise of the big-wig city theatre and the street performances of wannabe jazz stars were just too much to bare. It was morning and the crick in the neck had already begun to form long before he woke up. But he wasn't surprised on account his neck had been in one position – bent backwards against the arm of the couch – through the whole night. And as soon as he tried to straighten it, huge amounts of pain would strike as if he wore a necklace of bruises. It wasn't like he could succeed in straightening it anyway, because it seemed the joints were locked in place or something. But he couldn't stay like this, he wouldn't stay like this. How embarrassing would it be if Ash was having his first Pokemon battle and he was looking _up_ the entire time? Unless it was a sky battle, he could not take the risk.

All of this wouldn't have happened if Misty wasn't acting so bitter, he would think. After the fight from last night, Misty had locked him out of the room they rented and would punish Brock if he ever snuck him in. He was questioning Misty's authority. Why did she have to be so domineering? While he was thinking, he was finally able to fix his strained neck with one last go at it. It was very smooth and very quick. He slung his head forward and he felt no pain at all. But there was this huge crack sound…_crack!_

"That's gross…" Ash looked around and saw that it was Misty speaking, as she continued to exit the Pokemon Center without saying much else.

Ash was about to chase after her but he lost his will. What was the use? He and Misty fought _all _the time and everything would be okay at the end. It always does. All he had to do was wait for Misty to absorb everything and she would be back in no time. Nobody would have to apologize, because they'll both realize their faults and that would be enough. The same thing has happened so many times Ash lost count. Instead, Ash entered the forbidden room to give Brock a hello.

"Yo Brock!" Ash gave him a happy wave, as he saw Brock fiddling with something on the desk. It wasn't until Brock took notice of Ash when he shoved whatever it was into a drawer. "What are you doing?"

"Ash…you're not supposed to be in here…"

"What?" Ash was certainly listening but Brock was talking so low that he was practically whispering.

"Misty will kill me if she finds you in here!" Brock finally sputtered.

"Don't worry, Misty left to go somewhere." Ash started to wonder where she would've gone to this early in the morning. Perhaps Brock could shed some light. "Do you know where she went by any chance?"

"No clue…absolutely not…uh-uh…"

Ash tried to observe him for any signs of wavering. "Are you sure?"

"C'mon Ash, I'm sure she's just going for a walk that's all."

Ash conceded to Brock. He knew Brock was probably lying but it probably wasn't all that important to begin with. Misty _was_ mad at Ash, after all, and it only made sense that she would tell Brock and wouldn't tell him.

At that moment Pikachu crawled from under the covers of Ash's bed, looking rested from his pleasant sleep. Of course, Misty would let Pikachu in the room. They were like closet best friends. Even if Ash and Misty somehow ended their friendship on the dot, she would still let Pikachu in the room. That's the benefit of being a Pokemon – you never have to take sides in a fight. So while Ash was sleeping on a rock-hard couch with no pillow, Pikachu was sleeping dreamily in a warm faceted guestroom with all the pillows he pleased.

Brock re-continued the conversation. "Misty is pretty mad at you, Ash."

"Yeah, I know…"

"I mean it, Ash. I've never seen her _this _mad before. What did you do to make her act like this?"

"You tell me…" Ash wasn't kidding, he really didn't know. All he did was defend Leslie from Misty's hostile attitude towards her, and that's all.

"I know Misty gets mad a lot, Ash, but there's always a reason behind it."

Well, Ash might've said _one_ thing that could've gotten her upset. "I kinda said something along the lines of 'This is my journey and mine alone'."

A shade of darkness began to hide Brock's face. "You said what?"

"Yeah, it was kind of harsh. But you should've heard what she called me! She called me-"

Brock finished Ash's sentence for him. "You ungrateful…"

"Yeah! How'd you know that?"

Just then, Brock shoved Ash out of the room and slammed the door on his face. Ash was startled by Brock's overwhelming strength but Brock's loud sobs from behind the door freaked him out even more.

"Not you too, Brock…"

.::.

Brock walked back to his station – the desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out an envelope.

"Whew, I've got to be more careful. Ash almost caught me…"

He continued what he was doing – shoving money inside. "_You owe me big, Misty."_ He thought.

.::.

Ash was walking aimlessly on the sidewalks of town. With the two of his friends not willing to talk to him, he had no one for company. Not even Pikachu. Pikachu wanted to sleep for a couple more hours; perhaps, he had gotten a little _too_ comfortable on that bed. But Ash didn't have the heart or desire to wake him up. Pikachu deserved the rest.

He continued to wander around town until he caught sight of Leslie sitting at an outdoor café table. She was alone. She smiled and looked like she was having a blast, but she was still alone nonetheless. He decided to walk over to her. Misty probably would freak out if she saw him with Leslie. But Ash wasn't even thinking of what Misty would say. Leslie was the only other friend Ash had in this isolated region from homeland, and he was just dying to talk to someone. Perhaps he could try to patch up the situation while he's at it.

"Leslie!" Ash called out as he approached her closer. Leslie turned her head at once by the shout of her name.

"Hi Ash. Good morning."

"G'morning." He was on his last breath after running to her table, factoring in that he has had no sleep as well. He was a complete mess.

"Are you okay? You look terrible!" She wasn't kidding either. From the details on his face – the bag eyes and the pale skin – he looked positively drained. His legs were wobbling and his knees were shaking and he was about to collapse!

"Ash!" Leslie slipped a chair under Ash just before he hit the ground.

He was unconscious apparently because his forehead rested on the table like a brick.

"Excuse me, is he gonna be okay?" A stranger asked.

"Yeah, he'll be just fine! Thanks for asking!" Leslie was positive about this. She stared at him for awhile, a little longer than intended, and she took off his hat to keep the visor from bending. His hat bared a strong resemblance to her own. It had the same Pokemon League insignia sewn onto the front, though his was green and hers was blue. There was also a difference in the hat's outer coloring where Ash's was red and Leslie's was pink. But aside from those variants, the hats were practically identical.

Just then, a waitress placed a stack of French toast on the table and gave Leslie a wink. You could tell she – the waitress – was very nice, giving free meals on the house and all. All because Ash seemed to be having a really bad day. The smell of the French toast wafted its way into Ash's nose and he slowly began to show signs of life.

"Ash, you lazy bum, you're finally up!"

"Yeah…" Ash gave a chuckle, but his eyelids still drooped down you could barely see the eyes themselves. "Are you going to eat those?"

Leslie bursted out laughing. "The French toast of course! You kill me Ash…"

Ash did not know what she was talking about, so he just started scarfing down the meal with no regards. He was finished with it in about a minute or so. "Boy, am I glad to see you Leslie!"

"You are?"

"Well yeah. 'Specially since Brock and Misty refuse to talk to me anymore…"

"Huh? What are you saying?" This was Leslie's automatic response to shocking news such as this. "You guys had a falling out, or something? I hope not. Your friends seem so nice."

Ash was asking questions to himself. C'mon, how does Misty not like this girl? She has nothing but good intentions…where did Misty's paranoia derive from anyhow? According to last night's fight between him and Misty, there were only two possible explanations as to why Leslie had this affection for him: 1) She had a crush on him. 2) She was just fooling him from the start, so she could mess up his strategies and beat him when the time comes.

Oh how Ash wished there was a third option. He absolutely didn't want the second one to be true because he would be losing a friend, a really good one too. As for the first one, he didn't really know what he wanted. Was being liked by a girl a good thing? It seemed so awkward! Ash doesn't even know how love felt, let alone how to return them. Maybe it was time to ask Leslie herself.

"Um Leslie?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you have a crush on me?"

Just then, Leslie jumped out of her seat as she was mortified beyond belief. Her face wouldn't stop flushing. She tried to hide it by holding her cheeks, but her constant huffing couldn't be helped. She finally had the nerve to speak. "How can you say things like that so easily?" Then she huffed some more.

"So is that a yes or a no?"

"Uh where did you get that idea from?"

"It's a long story." Ash chuckled. "Remember when I said Misty wasn't speaking to me?"

"Yeah…"

"Well it was because of you…" That didn't really come out right.

"Me?" Leslie had a big quizzical expression on her face.

Ash nodded as his reply. "How should I put this? Misty doesn't really like you."

But those probably weren't the gentlest of words. "Is that so?"

Ash rushed to answer. "I mean…I have no idea why! She's been acting really strange as of late. I think you're cool and all but I don't know why _she_ doesn't see that!"

Leslie gave a big sigh.

"I forgot to mention, she knows about…you know…about you losing on purpose."

"Did you tell her?"

"No I didn't. I've been extra careful about that. As a matter of fact, I have no idea _how_ she found out. Anyway, Misty told me that you're just lying to me to mess up my game plan. That's not it, right?"

"Ash, I would never do that to you."

"That's what I said! But she didn't believe me. Then um…I came up with the idea that you had a crush on me. Funny huh?" Ash laughed about it to steer away from any ounce of seriousness.

"So _you_ came up with that idea? Why do you think that is?" Leslie's question was almost an exact duplicate of Misty's question when Ash first blurted out the possibility.

"I don't know!" Ash didn't mean to shout, but the subject of conversation was getting uncomfortable. "It's just that we've been spending a lot of time together and you're so nice to me."

That could be re-worded as 'you came on a little too strong', thought Leslie. Naturally, she felt embarrassed but a little happy also. It was nice – no, amazing – that Ash would even consider that.

"That darn Misty, though!" Ash brought up.

"Huh?"

"All of a sudden she thinks she knows everything! She had no right to say what she said! I mean…she barely even knows you! If she could get to know you, like _I_ know you, she'd probably change her mind."

"Thank you for defending me, Ash." Leslie said gratefully. She meant it too. She then began to dig into the shoes of Misty. Was she supposed to hate Misty now? It was only logical to hate someone who hates you back. But Leslie was not like that. She felt she just didn't understand Misty. Once she understands Misty, it'll all be clear.

"_Let's list the facts:_

_-She hates me – a girl._

_-She is best friends with Ash – a boy._

_-She was looking pretty bummed when she couldn't enter the restaurant with Ash and me._

_-She was also bummed when Ash refused to train right after the opening ceremonies._

_-She had a fight with Ash regarding myself, and now refuses to talk to him._

_This list seems to be very promising."_ Leslie thought.

Ash continued his constant yammer about Misty. "I mean _really_, though! Why does Misty always have to be like this?! She can't go a friggin' day without mentioning that stupid bike of hers! It's like she's-"

"You seem to be really close to this girl." Leslie interrupted Ash's rant.

"Weren't you paying attention to what I just said?"

"I sure was. From my standpoint, it seems that you care a great deal for her."

"What?! No I don't?! She's just a brat who always wants her way!"

"If you really feel that way, why do you travel with her?"

"Well it's um…" It was hard for Ash to prepare a comeback. "…oh wait, _she_ followed _me_!"

"But she _is_ your friend, eh?"

At that moment, Ash's mind began to show his memories in a random cycle. All of which included him and Misty. The first time they met. The time Misty cheered for him on Trovita Island. The time they both participated in the Whirl Cup. The time where Misty was the only one there when Brock first left. The time where they worked together to escape the St. Anne cruise ship. It was all there…

"She's…my _best_ friend…" Ash said. From ever since his journey started, he has never even spoke or thought of these words until now.

"Well that's that." Leslie stood up and gave Ash his hat back before making her exit.

"Wait, hold on, what do you mean 'that's that?'"

"I have something that I have to figure out." She didn't feel to elaborate any further. "I'll see you later, 'kay."

Ash paused. He almost volunteered to help her out, but didn't. Instead, he just nodded and she walked away.

Leslie turned around. "Oh and one more thing…"

"Yeah?"

" 'When you know someone for a long time, your bond with that someone might grow into something more.' " Leslie lectured. "Take it as free advice from a Pokemon League Champion."

"My bond with someone? Like me and Pikachu?"

This gave her a good laugh as she was leaving. "Ha-ha, try again! You and Pikachu? You kill me, Ash!"

She finally left and, once again, Ash had no one to talk to.

There wasn't any reason to stay at the café any longer so Ash stood up and left as well, about ten minutes after Leslie did. Who else was there to talk to?

(x) Misty

(x) Brock

(x) Leslie

It seemed that everybody was either too angry or too busy to talk. Maybe this was the time to do some training alone. Ash let out a sigh. Let it be known that Ash didn't like training. Who did? Yes, he loved being a Pokemon _trainer_. And he loved the perks of being one, such as making new friends and rivalries. But training was just another word for practice. And who liked practice? Of course, practice was the key to reaching the top and even the most talented Pokemon masters practiced once in a while. In fact, without practice, they would've never become Pokemon masters in the first place. So if practicing would warrant a Pokemon League Trophy, so be it. It would be a small price to pay.

As he made his way to the Pokemon Center – to retrieve his pokeballs and such – he caught the sight of a familiar looking guy.

"_Who is he from again? Oh wait, that's Leslie's friend! What's his name? Albert?"_ Albert was a pretty forgettable person but Ash didn't really care, as long as he had someone to talk to.

"Hey, um, Albert! Over here!" Ash was waving to assure that he was noticed. He was somewhat excited because he was going to meet a new person. The fact that he was friends with Leslie didn't hurt.

Albert surely took notice. He turned his head and gazed directly at Ash before running away.

"Albert! Wait up! It's me, Ash!"

He continued running, and just to make sure Ash didn't lose sight, Ash ran after him. Albert ran past a railroad track and by the time Ash caught up, the train blocked him. When the train completely dispersed, Ash continued to chase him. He couldn't have gotten far. They both approached a construction site and Ash was closing the gap but a swinging girder that almost bashed the living daylights out of him broke his concentration, giving Albert some time to increase his distance. But Ash didn't quit that easily. Albert entered a department store and took a breather. He was leaning on a clothing rack until Ash suddenly appeared in the back of him, hiding himself as a mannequin.

"I've got ya now!" Ash sprang off of a platform and onto Albert but missed.

"Hey what's your deal?!"

"Me?! You're the one that's running away!"

Albert took this time to exit the store while Ash was still on the floor. But because of his carelessness, he almost fell down a manhole but regained his footing to just miss it. Ash, however, wasn't so lucky as he fell into the manhole instead. Albert looked back and grinned, happy that that pesky kid was finally out of his way. Albert continued running. He was looking straight ahead and saw someone climbing out another manhole nearby. It was Ash!

"You just don't quit, don't you?" Albert said in half-frustration and half-amazement.

"You don't really know me, do you?" Ash raised one fist in the air and put another on his waist. "Ash Ketchum never quits!"

"Yeah, I don't really care. So will you leave me alone now?"

"That's exactly my point! Why the heck are you avoiding me for? Remember me? I'm Ash. The person you almost got disqualified?"

"Hey shut up! I don't have to say _anything_ to you!"

"It's alright man. I _forgive _you and everything. Any friend of Leslie's is a friend o' mine."

"Well thanks but no thanks!"

"Huh?" Ash tried to make sure he was hearing correctly. Did he just refuse to be friends?

"You heard me! I hate you man! Don't you get it!"

Albert ran away again but Ash let him go freely this time. _"He hates me? Why?"_

He barely even knew this guy. Nobody has ever hated him before – much less say it in front of his face – and it wasn't a good feeling he'd admit. His list was now full:

(x) Misty

(x) Brock

(x) Leslie

(x) Albert

He was running out of ideas. _"I guess I'm going to have to train after all…"_

**To Be Continued**

**Significant Points:**

-Misty _and_ Brock are mad at Ash.

-Ash looks past Misty's flaws and admits that she is his best friend.

-Albert tells Ash he hates him.


	5. Making up

"Misty, you're doing it all wrong!"

"Don't yell at me Brock! You know how much I hate high heels!"

This was it. This was the competition for Misty to finally break free from Ash's shadow. A beauty pageant. Misty wasn't too excited about this, either. But it was either _this_ or _The_ _Annual Pokemon League Pie-Eating Contest_. There wasn't much of a choice. Just to prep, Misty woke up early in the morning and left the Pokemon Center to beautify herself.

They were in a dressing room. It had the entire package – a door with Misty's name plated on for everybody to walk by, an accessible supply of never-used makeup from all brands, and a vanity with all those light bulbs that cover every inch of the mirror frame. These Pokemon League events almost always give their participants the most expensive luxuries. But even with all this, Misty wasn't feeling so gorgeous.

Misty still had on her traveling clothes. There was a selection of beautiful gowns that hung so neatly on a rack. But she ignored them for the time being and put on a pair of sleek red heels to practice her walking. If you exclude all the times she bent her ankle or tripped from going too fast, she wasn't doing _too_ bad. She did break one pair, however, but she wasn't going to be charged for it or nothing. Thankfully.

Speaking of pay, Misty asked Brock a question. "So Brock, did you send in my entry fee to the judges on time?"

"Sure did. I put it in this envelope and Ash didn't see a thing. You owe me, Misty. Remember that."

"Fine fine. Are you sure Ash didn't see anything?"

"I'm sure. Though, I still don't get why this has to be kept a secret from him." As Brock was talking, he was flipping through a pamphlet that gave loads of information about this _Miss Pokemon League Pageant_. "Hey, does it have anything to do with that dance at the end? Where Miss Pokemon League dances with the Pokemon League Champion at the huge after-party?

There was this old tradition in the Pokemon League where the winner of the _Miss Pokemon League Pageant_ and the Pokemon League winner do some intermingling. If a girl was declared champion, then Miss Pokemon League simply hands her flowers. But if a boy was declared champion, they dance.

"Does it _really_ say that? I haven't noticed..." There was something that told Brock that she was lying. "In any case, that has nothing to do with Asssssshhhhhh!"

She tripped on her heels once again as she tried to finish her sentence.

"Misty, tell me again how you're going to root for Ash _and_ compete in this pageant at the same time?"

"Don't worry. I'll just juggle things around." She answered dully. "If I miss one of his battles, it won't be so bad. He only needs one of us, right?"

"Misty…"

She continued to walk again, this time a lot slower, but still failed.

"Alright Misty, make room!" Brock strapped on a pair of heels from the given selection and told Misty to watch him closely. He made his first step successfully, then his second, then his third, and then he was pretty much skipping around the room with the greatest of ease. "Oh yeah! That's how it's done…"

Misty sweat-dropped. Brock was _so_ weird! She probably lost every shred of respect she had for Brock at that very moment. She could not even look at him the same way again. She tried but she just couldn't. "Listen, I appreciate everything you're doing to help me Brock. But…"

"But what?"

"I know you're trying your best but I'd feel more comfortable if a girl was assisting me. I need a woman's touch."

"Perhaps I can help you?" That voice belonged to neither Misty nor Brock. They turned their heads to the door, where the person who spoke stood. Leslie. She had no trouble opening the door and her innocent smile showed that she couldn't care less about her barging in.

"Leslie?" That was Misty's only reaction.

.::.

Ash was training in the special training rooms provided by the League.

"Pikachu that was great! You too, Chikorita!" He gave them the praise they had deserved. All of his Pokemon were working extremely hard. Then Ash realized…it was all him! He didn't mean to be cocky or anything, but he had to face it. He was a very good trainer! His confidence had sky-rocketed from the time he doubted himself for never being able to win a Pokemon League Trophy. But now, he believed it. He really believed it. "With you guys at my side, we'll win all our battles! You can count on it!"

.::.

After a long period of silence, Leslie decided to speak. She was the one that barged in, after all. "Don't worry, Misty. I'm not here to win that dance with Ash."

"I'm sorry but I think I said I wanted a _woman's_ touch!" That was pretty cold. Even for Misty to say. Deep inside, she regretted saying it. She really did. It was very childish and very insulting.

Misty turned to Brock. "What about that Nurse Joy you go with? Do you think you could ask her?"

"No, she is terribly busy on her shift at the Pokemon Center. She's regarded as one of the best, even at her age, she's really-" Brock was now bragging.

"Yes Brock, I get it. You've told me already once before." Misty looked at Leslie just for the heck of it. She had to admit, Leslie had a really nice sense for fashion. Also, Leslie _was_ a girl despite Misty's immature comment from earlier. Maybe asking for her help wouldn't be such a bad idea…

"Look, I know how you feel about me. I know." Leslie didn't tremble even slightly to the likes of Misty. "But I don't like to make enemies."

It wasn't what she said, but the way she said it, that made Misty withdraw. It sounded almost threatening, as if being her enemy meant absolute suffering.

Misty was becoming desperate. She didn't want to lose her chance. "Um, since you asked me so nicely, I'll gladly accept your offer. Of course, if you're still willing to help me after what I said."

"I am." Leslie sat her down on the chair in front of the vanity. She turned on all the bulbs and Misty's face was illuminated in the mirror. "Comfy? Now first thing's first! We've got to let down your hair."

She pulled the rubber band that held Misty's pigtail, hoping to let her hair fall, but even after she removed it, Misty's hair remained up. She gave a laugh to Misty's chagrin. "Misty, when was the last time you gave your hair a decent brush?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business!"

"Touchy…" Then she stared at Brock, who had been standing in a corner. "Pass me the hairspray, will ya?"

He did. Then Leslie began to spray everywhere – she didn't even aim at Misty's head – and soon the scent of fresh strawberries fogged up the entire room, including the mirror. The mirror was so fogged up, in fact, that Misty couldn't see herself anymore. But Leslie ignored it and just continued what she was doing. Then she began to brush her hair. But she brushed it a little too roughly.

"Owie owie owie!"

"Relax Misty. I'm almost done."

She lied, though. It took nearly an hour and a half to fix her hair. But it was actually pretty quick if you really think about it, considering that's the amount of time other contestants spend to fix their hair anyway. And Misty's hair was in such bad condition that she was lucky it didn't take five hours.

But whether it took one hour or five hours or one hundred hours, it was worth the effort. When they were done, Misty looked like a whole new person. Her hair was so shiny and silky that her bright red hair looked like a round peach rather than a blazing fire. Whenever Misty would shake her head, the strands of her hair would slap her face. That would never happen before, so it took some time to get used to. Her bangs fell over her face but they did not cover her eyes because there was this lift in her hair that prevented them from reaching that far. But it did not lift _too_ much to make her hair all out of proportion.

After that, Leslie began to apply Misty's makeup. As she was powdering Misty's face with this giant puffball, Misty suddenly realized something. She waited until the powdering was finished before saying anything. "Leslie, when you first walked in here, you said you weren't interested in a dance with Ash. What did you mean by that?"

Leslie stopped what she was doing and suddenly realized why she was there in the first place. "I just wanted to establish that I didn't come here as your competition. You want the dance with Ash, right?"

"Wha?"

"You have a crush on Ash, right?"

Misty's skin turned into a red that matched her hair. You couldn't imagine how embarrassed she felt, especially since it's true. But she contradicted herself again. "Are you mad? Me and Ash? I don't have a crush on that kid! I mean, who would?"

"I do." Leslie's response grabbed both Misty and Brock's attention. "But unlike you, I'm not afraid to admit it."

"Who're calling afraid?!"

"Well you are afraid, right? That's why you refused to admit it. Why else would you enter this pageant? Unless you're actually telling me the truth and you _don't _have a crush on Ash. That could be it. Well if you don't have a crush on him, I guess _I_ could ask him out sometime."

Misty couldn't take it anymore, mainly because Leslie was right. Misty was afraid. But she wasn't going to let anybody call her that, especially not Leslie. "Fine, if you want to know the truth, yes. I have a crush on Ash Ketchum."

Brock jumped in. "What?! You have a crush on Ash?!"

"Gee Brock! You honestly had no idea!? You're almost as dense as Ash is!"

Leslie smiled to show that she was impressed. "You sure proved me wrong. I guess you aren't afraid, after all."

"You're damn right I'm not afraid." Misty pointed at her fiercely. "And let's get one thing straight. I didn't enter this pageant for a stupid dance. I've got my own reasons – my own independence hangs in the balance! So if you think I would go through all this trouble for one dance, you're seriously mistaken!"

"Sheesh, I get it." Leslie did a pretend shrug.

Misty was getting pretty angry. Leslie was the cool and relaxed one in the conversation, while making Misty look like a dork. But she let it drop for now and they continued with the beauty transformation process.

Leslie had the challenge of putting eye shadow on Misty. It wasn't an easy task. "Misty, hold still!"

But she wouldn't hold still.

"Okay, do you want me to finish your makeup or what?"

It took Misty awhile to answer. Finally, she did. "I'm supposed to hate you…"

"Huh?"

"Why are you here, anyway? Why did you have to know if I had a crush on Ash or not?" Misty was beginning to bawl, as she was ruining her makeup before it was finished. "You didn't have to make sure it was okay with me before asking him out! Ash isn't my property or anything!"

"Well um…"

Misty formed a smile. "It was very nice of you, though. Thank you."

Leslie was almost about to cry as well. But she cancelled it out somehow. "Okay, well, I think it's time you pick out a dress."

Leslie walked over to the rack of gowns and selected a few for Misty to try on. She pointed to a little curtained booth for Misty to change in, so Brock wouldn't have to leave the room. One by one, Misty came in and out of the booth, showing off one dress after another. First, there was this yellow one showered with glitter but it seemed a little too bright. Next, there was this orange one with those huge poofy sleeves but it seemed to kind of clash with her hair. Finally, she came out with this fascinating blue dress with these thin red lines that flowed diagonally across the torso. Brock thought it looked a little too Americana. But Leslie thought it looked just adorable.

Misty, however, had no clue what to think of it. "Is this okay?"

"It's perfect!"

"Why don't you just give her a cane?" Brock joked. A cane would've definitely looked hilarious with that dress.

Leslie ignored him and looked at Misty befuddled. "What's wrong? You don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Didn't you ever play dress-up as a little kid?"

Misty looked at her and turned away. "No, not really. When I was a little kid, all I probably did was train my sister's Pokemon."

"Misty, this is exactly why you are perfect for Ash!" Leslie had to admit. Ash and Misty shared the same love for Pokemon; whereas Leslie didn't even like being a Pokemon trainer. Leslie began to ponder. She probably never even touched a Pokemon when she was a little kid. She was too busy playing dress-up and having tea parties to care. That's what separated her from Misty.

"I still don't get what's happening, Leslie." Misty was looking frustrated. "You have a crush on Ash, right? But just because _I_ have a crush on him, you're just going to hand him over to me?"

" 'When you know someone for a long time, your bond with that someone might grow into something more.' " That was Leslie's response. "You know…since you knew Ash first…I just thought-"

"Leslie! If you like him, you have to fight for him!" Misty countered. Leslie was her rival at love, but Misty didn't want to win the prize – Ash – by default. "Ash has a mind of his own! Who knows, maybe he likes you back?"

Misty was now looking like the cool and relaxed one, while Leslie was the dork.

She continued. "You see, I've been jealous of you ever since I first met you. Ash talks to you all the time, so there's a very good chance that he likes you back."

"Really, Misty?" Leslie began to take this in. Misty was not the kind of person she expected. The Misty she was expecting was a bratty, jealous girl with sort of a mean streak. But the _real _Misty was sweet, shy (when it came to fashion), and understanding. "It's funny because I've been jealous of you. You get to see Ash everyday. You're his best friend."

"I wouldn't really say I'm his _best_ friend…"

"But you are! He told me that himself!" Leslie remembered it from earlier today, though it seemed like forever since it had happened.

"_Ash_ said that?"

Leslie nodded. "So he might not have a crush on me, after all. He might like you."

"Being a best friend is completely different from being a crush!"

"I know. But remember what I said before? 'When you know someone for a long time, your bond with that someone might grow into something more.' " Leslie repeated.

"Are you a fortune cookie, or something?"

Leslie had to laugh. "Ha-ha no. But I find the life of a guru to be really interesting. Passing out advice for other people to follow, wouldn't that be cool?"

Misty finally realized what Albert said was true. Leslie _was_ weird!

"I think there's only one way to know, for sure, who Ash likes."

"How?" Misty was suddenly curious.

"An experiment." Leslie proposed. "We could hatch a plan to see if Ash likes you. If that doesn't pan out, we could do a similar experiment for me."

"What kind of plan?"

"First, we'll need Little Al's help. Oh, we'll need Brock's help too!"

Brock replied to the sound of his name. "How did I get caught in the middle of this?"

Misty didn't really care for Brock. She took more interest in the mentioning of Albert's name. "Speaking of Albert, did he ever talk to you about…his thoughts?"

She remembered telling Albert to talk with Leslie about his feelings, and she wanted to make sure Albert didn't chicken out.

"His thoughts? We haven't really talked at all lately. Why?"

"Oh, just asking. Can I look at myself in the mirror now?" Misty was lucky Leslie didn't say anything else. It was a pretty suspicious thing to ask.

Leslie sat her down on the chair and wiped the fog off with her sleeve. Misty gasped at the sight of her own reflection. She looked positively beautiful! Her hair wasn't overdone, the makeup was subtle, and the dress looked amazing on her. Then, at that point, it seemed everything was going to be fine. She really believed she was going to win. She really did. She would no longer be called a sidekick. Instead of being on the sidelines cheering for others, people were going to be cheering for her.

"You look beautiful, Misty!" That remark came from Brock. From Brock! Can you believe it?

"Thanks Brock!" Misty was happy beyond explanation.

"Anyways, what were we talking about? Oh, the experiment! I've already came up with an idea." Leslie's smirk foreshadowed something devilish. "We'll put you in some sort of danger and hope Ash saves you."

Misty did not like where this was going. "Danger? Please, anybody would save their _best_ friend. It wouldn't prove that he had a crush on me."

"Would you let me finish? I didn't say what _kind_ of danger it was…"

This scared Misty. "Can we stop talking about Ash? I mean, for right now. Are you any good walking in heels?"

"Sure, lemme teach ya."

The two girls talked whilst they acted, as Brock just stood there in complete awkwardness. _"Ash, you dog, what's your secret?"_

Leslie told Misty to stay behind her as they both walked. She said that she'd catch Misty if she happened to fall. Misty fell, as precedent, but her weight was too overwhelming for Leslie to handle. Thus they both crashed on the floor, but their reaction was surprising. They were both laughing. Perhaps, now, they were becoming friends. Let's just hope that a certain boy doesn't break the bond.

**To Be Continued**

This was the shortest chapter, besides chapter one, if anybody noticed. But it's one of the most important ones, don't you forget. I hope it was good. I know you may think these characters are now becoming overdramatic, the crying for example, but I consider it as a relief (especially from Misty's character). Also, sorry about the descriptions about the makeup and stuff. I'm a boy if you didn't know.

**Significant Points:**

-Misty is competing in a Beauty pageant to gain independence. And a dance with Ash as a bonus?

-Leslie and Brock help Misty prepare for the competition.

-Leslie confesses her crush on Ash.

-Misty also confesses her crush on Ash.

-They both scheme to find out who Ash likes.

-Misty and Leslie become friends

**Review Responses:**

Lonewolf47: Thank you. I've never been complimented on my pacing before. This is something I hope to continue because I never really felt strongly about it before.

Johan07: You wanted to find out if she had a crush on Ash? Well, now you know. I didn't really want Albert to be a hateable character because he was kind of based on me lol. If you read my other stories, you'll see that I like the AshxMisty pairing, so you may get disappointed. But there is a twist coming I think you especially might like. Thanks a bunch!

Don't forget to review the next chapters everybody! If you are new to the site, you could still review without a username. So I hope everybody could just take a couple of seconds to say something. It can be positive or negative, just as long as it isn't spam. Until then, enjoy the rest of your July!


	6. If Love Can Heal

**Operation: Ash Spills**

"That's a pretty clever name, Misty!" Leslie admitted. She was referring to the name Misty gave to the 'experiment'.

But Misty didn't see anything extraordinary about it. "Huh? How so?"

" 'Ash spills', " Leslie repeated the name. "It's so funny! You know...in geologist terms, the definition of an ash spill could otherwise be known as a toxic leak of coal. But you meant it as Ash, the name of a person, _spilling_ a secret. Or _spilling the beans_, rather. It's a pun."

"Only _you_ would notice that, Leslie." Misty gazed at her strange appeal. As she got to know more and more of her, more strangeness began to uncover. It was hard for her to believe that they were once enemies. Leslie was just so dang likeable.

Leslie giggled at that.

**Start Sequence!**

"Okay, if this experiment goes as planned, we'll know Ash's feelings for you." Leslie assured her.

"Are you okay with me going first?" Misty asked.

"Sure 'm ' sure…" Leslie got a little tongue-tied. But she just laughed and resumed talking. "Think about it, it doesn't really matter who goes first. If he likes you, then he likes you. And if that's true, it just saves me the time and embarrassment. It goes both ways."

"I see…" Misty finally understood. After a second thought, she found out that Leslie was a _very_ sly one. There was also the possibility that Ash liked Leslie, and not Misty. This was putting Misty at the risk of total embarrassment, while Leslie was taking a safe seat somewhere else. Being second was probably the better choice all along. But Misty didn't feel to take any offense.

"Are you ready, Misty?"

"Leslie, wait, what if he doesn't like any of us?" That question was completely alienated from their thoughts until now.

"Um, let's not think of that now…"

Misty nodded in full agreement. "Right, let's just see how this plays out." All of a sudden, they were both excited instead of nervous.

"Now let's get this show on the road!"

**Phase 1: Enter Brock.**

The huge boulder that stood tall and mighty in the middle of the field was now gone. Instead, there remained smaller pieces of boulder that spread across the area in its place. Each bit of the rock still had a little static stored inside and anybody who touched it would be foolish. Electricity doesn't affect rock? Says who? This was the doing of Ash Ketchum, who had been training ruthlessly since the day started and with no end in sight. His heart had been beating too hard and pumping too fast that he decided to take a random break just when his Pokemon were starting to feel strong. No end, just a break.

"How 'bout we head back to the Pokemon Center, Pikachu? Brock and Misty are probably wondering where we're at."

"Pika?"

"Of course, Misty too! What're you saying?"

"Pika-chu."

"You got it all wrong, Pikachu! Misty has already forgiven me. I hope."

Ash was walking his way to the Pokemon Center until he gained the thirst for a cold drink. Those hardcore training sessions could really take it out of you. Luckily, right next to the Pokemon Center, resided a tropical snack bar that benefitted from hot days such as the one now. Ash began to sprint to the snack bar to order something but it seemed that no one was there. He was about to turn away in disappointment until he heard a noise in the backroom. A man came out looking a little miffed.

"Sorry for the wait. May I take your order?" said the tall, dark, narrow-eyed man.

"Brock?!" Ash's jaw dropped to the counter. "You work here now?"

"Ash? How's it going, buddy?" Brock wasn't as surprised as Ash was. It was Brock's job to lure Ash to the designated location for 'Operation: Ash Spills'. He knew that this snack bar gimmick would eventually lead him to Ash and it worked.

"When did you apply?"

"For what?"

"This job!"

"Oh right. Well, there's this Nurse Joy who I like. She's my age! Can you believe it?! Anyways, she's trying to save up for college by working at the Pokemon Center. So I thought I could lend her a hand." Although he mainly worked there to lure Ash, this was also true.

"You're a real gentleman, you know that?"

Brock gave a nod as if he already knew it was true.

**Phase 2: Mention Misty in Conversation (record reaction, if necessary).**

"Aren't you going to ask where Misty is?" Brock was moving a little too hasty on the plan and he was beginning to look suspicious.

"Misty?"

"Yeah, don't you think you and Misty should patch up your little fight?"

"Of course, I'd love to. So where is she?"

"I don't know."

Ash face-faulted. "Then why did you bring it up if you didn't know?!"

Brock gave a laugh. "Oh right." He took off his apron and hopped over the counter effortlessly. "Say, how about we look for her together?"

A handicapped, but intimidating, man burst out the door with a stern look on his face. "Where do you think you're going?! I didn't say you could leave your shift! Are you backing down on your promise?!"

"No sir, I'll be right back. Emergency."

Ash and Brock ran away before hearing his reaction. They knew that the man couldn't chase after them with an injured leg. It was a little cold-hearted, but they had to get away or else they would've been the next ones to be handicapped. The man looked _that_ intimidating.

Ash was finally able to speak after catching a breath. "What did that guy mean by 'promise'?"

"Well, you know how I _promised_ that I'd help out that Nurse Joy with college?"

"And?"

"Well, that scary man is her father. He would allow me to date his daughter if I held my end of the bargain."

"Ouch." Ash kidded. "All this for a girl?"

**Phase 3: Guide Ash to Different Places of the City (continue to record subject's movements). **

Albeit not saying so, Brock actually knew where Misty was. It would just be too perfect if they found her immediately, so Brock had to escort Ash to various places to make it seem more natural. They explored places like other Pokemon Centers, stage shows, restaurants, salons, and even old alleyways to bide the time. After a while, Ash was fed up with everything.

"Brock, how could you _not_ know what Misty is doing?"

"I know what she's doing." Brock retorted back.

"Before, you said that you didn't know what she was doing!" Ash was starting to believe that Brock was actually _trying_ to aggravate him.

"No, I said that I didn't know where she _was_. But I know what she's doing."

This left Ash to a paradox. "How the heck can you know what she's doing, but not where she is?!"

"Do you give up?" Brock was grinning like a madman.

"Curse you Brock! This isn't a game! I want to find Misty as soon as possible!"

Brock decided that enough time has passed to carry on the next phase of the plan. "She's on a date."

"A…date?"

"Yup. Does that bother you?" Brock was trying to get out as much dirt from Ash as possible. He made a fair comparison to a paparazzi reporter.

Ash shrugged. "That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that _you_ didn't tell me sooner! We could've looked for her later! Not at a time where she could've gotten disturbed by us!"

Brock had feared this moment. Maybe Ash really _didn't_ care if Misty was on a date. The rest of the plan could not continue if Ash does not disturb the date. He _has_ to disturb the date for the plan to be a success. He tried his best to change Ash's mind. "I'm sure Misty wants to end this fight as soon as possible, Ash."

"We'll settle things after her date." Then Ash began to ponder. The thought began to sink in more. Misty was on a date. Misty. Date. Misty. Date. Misty. Date. Misty. Date.

Brock uneasily had to give up. "Okay, so I guess I should head back to the snack bar…"

"Wait Brock! Out of curiosity, do you know who Misty is dating? What's his name?"

"Hmm, you already know him. It's Albert. Leslie's friend."

"Him?" Despite Albert being a forgettable person, Ash couldn't get this guy off his mind. _"Why would he want to date Misty? Or better yet, why would Misty want to date him? Misty was way too good for him. This couldn't be right. Unbelievable. Albert hates me, but he dates my friend? Maybe this is Albert's way of teasing me. He's probably just _using_ poor Misty because he knows that Misty is the one I…"_

Ash stopped right there, only to continue his search for Misty.

Brock was stunned by Ash's sudden change in demeanor. "Where you going, Ash?"

"I'm going to put an end to that date!"

**Phase 4: Sit Tight and Wait For Ash.**

Meanwhile, Misty and Albert were sitting on a bench in the park. The sky was getting darker, but the lamppost nearby as well as the giant torch in plain sight were enough to illuminate the surroundings. Albert couldn't move because his wrists were tied up for his resistance to help them with their devious plot. Leslie was in the bush behind them. Spectating.

"Would you _please_ untie me?!" Albert bemoaned for what seemed like the hundredth time. "This is unnecessary! I'm not going to run away or anything!"

"Liar!" Leslie accused him of.

"I swear! If you had asked me properly, I would have gladly helped you." Albert was referring to when the girls ambushed him without saying why.

Leslie – from behind the bush – poked him with a sharp stick. It was sharp enough, and it was forced hard enough, to make even the toughest man wretch. "Would you quit crying? _You_ don't even have to do anything! _We're_ doing all the work!"

"What are you saying? All you have to do is sit in a bush the entire time. How hard is that!?"

"Hey, that's not all I'm doing! This whole thing is like a movie and I'm its director. I'm making sure everything is going as planned. And I'm casting you for the supporting male. So you better not bail on us!" Leslie countered.

"I already told you that I won't bail!" Albert's implosion gave him the strength to break free from the knots.

While Leslie and Albert continued to exchange blows, Misty giggled at their argument. But the two of them stopped when they heard Misty laugh.

"What are you laughing about, Misty?" Leslie pouted, still upset by the argument.

"Oh nothing. It's just that I see a strong connection between you guys. Maybe it's because you guys have known each other for a long time." If Misty could perhaps awaken a love between these two, Leslie would no longer care for Ash. Misty had to admit that Albert was attractive – he was tall, much taller than Brock (the pet-name 'Little Al' given by Leslie stood for irony), and he had a very very light British sounding accent.

Leslie knew what Misty was implying. "What?! Between me and Albert?! Misty, you really don't know what you talking about. YOU REALLY DON'T."

"I don't?" Misty answered her playfully. She turned to Albert. "Albert, you would have volunteered to help us on a whim, right?"

"Yeah so?" Albert pouted the same way.

"If only Leslie had asked you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't say no to Leslie. She's--"

But Albert was interrupted by Leslie. "--Look! Ash is coming!"

**Phase 5: Get Into Character. Make Ash Jealous.**

Ash was running towards their direction. It was only a matter of time. The space that separated them was probably only a lapse of fifteen seconds. The plan was about to play out. The movie was about to have its climax.

Leslie poked Albert with the stick again. "Quick! You guys have to sit closer to each other!"

Albert jumped off his seat in pain and landed sideways – a little closer to Misty. His face was lightly touching Misty's ear.

Misty was in complete awkwardness. She began to think this thing through. Ash was going to try and save her. But was that what she _really_ wanted? This would just prove time and again that Misty was incompetent of solving her own problems. She would need Ash to come to the rescue. No way, she wouldn't allow it!

As Ash approached closer, Misty decided to take matters into her own hands. _Smack! _

**Abort Sequence, Mission Failed! Unauthorized Disruption!**

The lamppost nearby blew a fuse and caused a blackout. Now the only thing you could see was their silhouettes. Everybody stood frozen for the fear of bumping into something but mostly due to their surprise of Misty's most recent action. Misty held a fist prominently in the air; whereas on the ground laid the body of poor ol' Albert, recovering slowly from being totally off-guard. Misty had clocked him good.

This scene may be ultimately disturbing to some and astoundingly funny to others. But to Ash, he stared at it with supreme admiration. He saw Misty at a whole new perspective. Misty was tough. Misty was cool. Misty did not have to be babied. Misty was on-par with him. _This_ was the Misty he met back at Viridian City so long ago. Misty had changed a lot since then; she has become more friendly and sweet. But Misty's flare was starting to come back. That was what he gathered from that single scene.

"Misty!"

"What are you doing here, Ash?!"

"Well, I thought you could use some help." Ash looked down where Albert suffered a big ordeal. "But it seems like you did the job for me."

"I can handle things all by myself!"

"Yeah, I can see that now."

"Cut! I mean, oh no!" Leslie jumped out of the bush and attended to the wounded Albert. "Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry, Albert!" Misty gave her long-delayed apology. She really felt bad about it. Her anger and pride just took over her nerves for a second and she succumbed to the worst. She knew she had no right to do it. And if she could rewind time, she would. She repeated her apology a couple more times, but it didn't do any justice. "Sorry, just…sorry."

Leslie seemed to have understood. "I know you didn't mean it, Misty. I think he's going to be okay."

"Are you sure?"

Just then, Albert was steadily gaining consciousness. You could easily see his heavy inhales as his shoulders and stomach moved in and out. Then his eyes and mouth began to open.

"Little Al! Thank goodness you're okay!" Leslie tried to tend to him. She started by touching his wound but it turned out even the slightest touch would sting. She hooked his arm over her head in an attempt to carry him up, but she wasn't strong enough.

"Ash, help Leslie now!" Misty bossed.

Reluctantly, Ash hooked Albert's _other_ arm over his head and helped him onto his feet. Ash and Albert both turned their heads and their faces met. Right then and there, they pushed each other distantly away. They both wore a grotesque look from setting eyes on the other. You could tell that something was wrong.

"What's the matter with you two?" Leslie asked worriedly.

"It's…nothing…Leslie." Albert tried to comfort her, though he was still feeling light in the head.

"Nothing?! What do you mean 'nothing'?! Tell her the truth, Albert! Tell her that you hate me!" Ash was getting pretty angry.

Misty gave Ash a smack on the head – though it was a million times softer than the one she gave Albert. "Won't you have some sympathy for the poor guy?!"

"You're the one who hit him!"

While Ash and Misty was having a little episode of their own, Leslie asked for Albert to come clean with the truth. "Is it true that you hate Ash?"

Misty stopped her quarreling with Ash to listen for Albert's answer.

"It's no big deal." Albert turned his head away.

"Care to explain? You know how much I…spend time with him. Why didn't you say anything?"

Misty could sense something about to happen. A confession?

~[Misty's Hypothetical Vision]~ (START)

"Listen Leslie, ever since our journey in this region started, all you ever talk about is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Albert spouted out his complaints with no regards to Ash's presence.

"Little Al? Why do _you_ care so much that I talk about Ash a lot?"

Albert shrugged amateurishly. "Um it's just annoying, that's all." His mind was like an open book.

"Little Al…tell me now. I could see you sweating. You wouldn't be so deniable if it was just 'annoying'." Leslie was anxious to finally hear the truth. She tapped her shoe on the ground to express her impatience that could no longer last.

Albert took a huge gulp before admitting the whole situation from his point-of-view. "Leslie, I know all about you trying to lose on purpose. You've been planning this for months, haven't you? I overhear you talking to yourself in your bed at night."

"So… so you were awake, huh?"

"Of course I was awake! Do you have any idea how hard I worked, just for you?" Albert grabbed her by the shoulders in a firm grip. He began to speak in a lighter tone. "If you want to retire, it's fine by me. But the least you could do is tell me ahead of time. And please, don't lose on purpose. Let these last few days be an honorable memory. So when we finally separate, we'll have one last thing to look back on."

Tears began to rest on the cheeks of Albert's now pale face.

Leslie wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. "Please, stop your crying. Please."

Albert squirmed in her restraint. "Do you realize how painful it was to hear it from you in those circumstances — the both of us almost half-asleep in the dark? To think that I had to go so far as eavesdropping to finally figure it all out! And although you were the one lying to me, I feel so guilty for eavesdropping! It's nerve-wrecking!"

She had no idea what to say or do. She did not know whether to stop hugging him or say something encouraging. So she just continued hugging him some more.

Albert tried his best to refrain from his pathetic face. He whispered into Leslie's ear very softly. "I love you. Leslie Dawson."

Leslie's eyes widened. She was in the biggest quandary in her life. Then she remembered these words: 'When you know someone for a long time, your bond with that someone might grow into something more.' These were Leslie's own words! It was time for her to follow her own advice.

"Oh I love you, too. Albert Miner."

"Y-You finally didn't call me Little Al…"

"I know. Albert is a wonderful name." Leslie was trying to recover from using such a corny line. "Don't blame Ash. It is _I_ that made you suffer like you did. I know that I don't say it much…but I appreciate everything you've done for me. And words can't express how much I am sorry for not telling you about me losing on purpose. So I'm asking you, as the person who loves you with all her heart, to please forgive me! I just hope that I didn't hurt you too much…"

Leslie was rambling on with her speech. But Albert smiled because she looked so cute doing it. "Don't worry. Love will heal these wounds."

"I love you, Albert!" Leslie repeated with more feeling than before. "I won't lose on purpose! And when I retire, I want to settle in Ecruteak City! And I want you to be there with me! By my side! Just the two of us!"

"I'd like that…"

The tension was now over. The rise of the new moon shined bright above them, beaming with extreme radiance that acted as a limelight, as it focused on the two figures sitting on the ground and sharing a long and overdue kiss.

~[/Misty's Hypothetical Vision]~ (END)

It may have seemed too fluffy or clichéd. But this was what Misty imagined. She couldn't help it. She was a romantic fanatic. She even made up last names for them. Now she would witness it in real-life, as it was about to unfold before her very eyes.

"Now tell me, Little Al, how come you _hate_ Ash?"

"Um I might've gone overboard when I used the word 'hate'. I don't hate him."

"Then why did you say it?!" Leslie was getting impatient with Albert's stalling.

"I don't know. Sometimes bigger brothers become so overprotective that they lose control of thought."

"DID HE SAY 'BROTHER'!?!?!?!??!?!?" Misty and Ash shared the same reaction with equal timing.

Albert continued his excuse without hindering. "Leslie, I know about you losing on purpose."

"You…what?"

"I know about you planning to lose on purpose. And I know you told Ash about it and not me. Do you realize how insulting that is to me? I realize that Ash is your friend and all. But I'm your family. I've been your coach ever since you held your first pokeball. And we shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other." Albert went with the direct approach and told her everything on his mind in a single statement.

"I had no idea you felt so strongly about this." Leslie was beginning to realize her faults. She put herself in the shoes of her brother and felt only anguish and despair. "But I still want to retire after this year."

"I know I can't stop you from that." Albert owned up to that fate. "From what I hear, you are clearly unhappy taking Pokemon training into a serious profession. So as your big Bro', all I want is your happiness."

"Thank you--"

But Albert cut her off. "--On one condition: you mustn't lose on purpose. No matter what." Then he turned to Ash. "Is that okay with you, Ash?"

Ash nodded without hesitating. Ash was suddenly terrified of Albert. Before, he knew Albert just as Leslie's _friend_. But now, he was Leslie's big brother – a big brother who would do just about anything to keep his little sister safe from harm. Not that Ash _would_ harm her or anything. But he would have to be extra careful around her from now on.

Just then, Albert gave Leslie a big warm family hug. From older brother to younger sister. "I've been an overprotective brother. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too."

"So you guys are siblings?" Ash was still taken aback by this. He needed confirmation.

Leslie answered him. "Yup. Did we not mention that?"

Ash and Misty face-faulted at the same time.

"Actually, we didn't mean to tell you because we like to keep a low-profile. For media's sake."

Misty was in stitches. Did she just imagine them kissing not too long ago? What a difference five minutes could make. _"The family hug may not be romantic…and their words may not have been as emotional as in my vision, but everything still turned out okay."_ She took a glance at Ash. _"But perhaps there's still a chance for romance, after all."_

"I feel kind of embarrassed now." Leslie gave a laugh. "I'm sorry Ash. I must've been a bothersome gal asking for such a favor. When we finally battle – and I assure you that we will – I'll go legit. I'm going to end my career off with a bang. For my brother. And for myself, as well."

Ash was glad Leslie finally changed her mind. "That's great! It's going to be a battle to remember!"

Misty tapped Ash on the shoulder. "Ash, I can't help but wonder. When you were on your way over here, what were you thinking of as you were running? Why did you come here in the first place?"

Ash was beginning to sweat. He couldn't possibly tell the truth. "I just wanted to make up with you about our fight before, that's all. I'm sorry." It was partially the truth at least.

"That's okay. I guess." At any given day, Misty might've been happy that Ash apologized to her. But not today.

Obviously, according to Misty, this experiment was a complete fail. The original plan was for Ash to disturb the date on his own, but Misty punching Albert in the face might be where everything fell apart.

Misty began to cry. "I liked what happened in my vision better!"

There was absolutely no chance for romance happening tonight.

**To Be Continued**

Long time, no read. That's probably what you're thinking, is it? Well m computer has been on the fritz lately...oh who am I kidding? I was lazy okay! That and I also had some summer homework to finish. I didn't put any cliffhangers or anything so it's all cool. What did you think of it? **I hope my formatting wasn't confusing.** Be sure to review. There are people who alert this story and favorite this story but they have never reviewed once. So I'd like to recieve reviews from those people. The regulars are also much anticipated.

Please don't say Albert is a wuss. I know that he got knocked out by one punch but give him a break. He's a gentle giant (remember I said he was tall). Remember that I am LOOSELY based on this character. I'm not a wuss nor am I tall -_-

As for the sibling concept, I planned that the whole time. I know I probably messed up the story for many readers, but I hope you will realize there is a reason why Leslie and Albert couldn't be together. It starts with an 's'.

**Significant Points:**

-Operation: Ash Spills was an epic fail.

-Leslie and Albert patched up their problems. Ash and Albert also patched up their problems, I guess.

-Leslie and Albert are siblings ZOMG

-Does Ash like Misty back? He was mesmerized by Misty when she held her fist to the air.

-Brock works at a snack bar?!


End file.
